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AHOPE Day Center

Over 500 people are homeless on any given night in Buncombe County. Homeward Bound’s AHOPE Day Center is Western North Carolina’s only day center for people experiencing homelessness and it meets a crucial need. AHOPE is often the only place that people who live outside can go for services, which makes it a powerful outreach and engagement tool in our community. Almost everyone experiencing homeless in our area comes through AHOPE and it serves as a hub of information and connection to other community resources.

The AHOPE Day Center is located at 19 N. Ann Street in downtown Asheville. About 130 people visit AHOPE each day, and it is often the first stop on the journey back to permanent housing.

Volunteers are critical to the successful operation of the AHOPE Day Center.

By providing the services that people need most, AHOPE staff and volunteers build relationships with the individuals accessing them. We listen and learn about their struggles so that we can connect them to community resources. Case Managers help clients complete housing applications, connect to mental health and substance abuse treatment, access medical care, get food stamps and find employment. They support the clients through this time of crisis until they are housed.

Volunteer Opportunities at AHOPE

Check mail for clients

Answer the telephone and take messages

Respond to client requests for items like towels and toiletries for showers

Help clients access medications that they store at AHOPE

Help maintain a level of organization and cleanliness in the building

Contribute to cleaning responsibilities at the end of the day (sweep and mop, clear and clean food table)

AHope Day Center

The Day Center is located at 19 N. Ann Street in downtown Asheville.

StoryShare – AHope Day Center: Chris and Derek

People experiencing chronic homelessness are prioritized in our mission of ending homelessness: they’ve experienced the most time outside and have the greatest barriers to getting themselves back into housing. Ending chronic homelessness means we’ll house everyone who’s currently experiencing it, and we’ll build a system to house people at risk of chronic homelessness in the future.

The Homeward Bound community includes caring staff, volunteers, board members, and people experiencing or moving out of homelessness. We believe that housing is a human right and use the “Housing First” national best practice to end homelessness. We care about the most vulnerable among us and work every day to help them improve their lives. Join us!

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